


wherever i'm with you

by c_tristesse



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fireworks, Fluff, I JUST HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS ABOUT THIS FANART OK, percabeth, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:49:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27651593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse
Summary: The Fourth of July at Camp Half-Blood is always special, but this year it feels like coming home.or, Percy proposes to Annabeth with fireworks
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 23
Kudos: 101





	wherever i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

> long time ao3 lurker, first time writer. 
> 
> this fic is 100% inspired by [this beautiful work](https://arishatistic.tumblr.com/post/635248787139510272/percabeth-proposal-at-the-fireworks-beach-in-camp)\- if you love it as much as i do, please go follow arisha (@arishatistic on tumblr)!

No matter how much time passes, there’s something about visiting camp that feels like coming home. 

Percy rests his hand against the lone pine tree at the crest of Half-Blood Hill, smiling at the smoke rings Peleus is blowing in his sleep. He spots Chiron in his wheelchair sitting across from a familiar head of blonde curls on the porch of the Big House, illuminated by the setting sun. He sees Annabeth more clearly as he walks down the hill and momentarily has the breath knocked out of him at the sight of her, a gauzy blue dress draping her lean frame. When he had left camp that morning, they had both been covered in sweat after a messy sparring-turned-makeout-session ended on the ground, dirt smudging their faces and worn-out orange T-shirts. She had been glorious in her ferocity: a flurry of sharp lines and hard angles, dagger flashing in her hands, coming at him with a strength only born from years of battling with her life on the line and the scars to prove it. Now, with a delicate fabric hugging her curves and her freshly-washed curls falling loosely down her shoulders, she is a softer kind of glorious- no less brilliant, but a warm glow instead of scorching flame. As he walks up the steps to the Big House, Percy feels his heart squeeze with the familiar sensation of joy and disbelief that this woman is somehow with _him_. 

Percy hooks his chin over Annabeth’s shoulder from behind, arms coming around to encircle her waist. She hums briefly to acknowledge him without taking her eyes off of the chessboard in front of her, engrossed in a game that Percy guesses has taken up most of the afternoon based on how few pieces are left standing. 

“Welcome back, Percy. Did you have a safe trip into the city?” Chiron asks. Percy looks up to meet the older man’s gaze and sees a knowing twinkle in his eye. The small jewelry box tucked into Percy’s back pocket immediately feels like a million-pound weight. He briefly wonders if his mentor has neglected to mention that centaurs have X-ray vision- the only people he had told about tonight’s plan were Sally (who had guessed before he could even ask her about it), Tyson (who had helped immensely with the project), Grover (who he couldn’t keep the secret from even if he wanted to), and Leo (strictly out of necessity and only after swearing to secrecy on the Styx). 

Percy shrugs in response. “Nothing to report. Estelle had fun at the Fourth of July parade. Harley asked me to grab some last-minute things for the fireworks, Blackjack is dropping them off at the Bunker.” 

Chiron nods and turns his attention back to the chessboard. Percy lets out an internal sigh of relief. Even after all these years, holding back information from Chiron still fills him with the dread of a kid lying about the lines of his first prophecy. 

Percy feels rather than sees a smile spread across Annabeth’s face as she moves a piece on the board. “That’ll be checkmate in three,” she says, just a hint of smugness coloring her voice. Chiron shakes his head ruefully before laughing and pushing himself away from the small table. “Let’s not bother with the steps then, my dear. An excellent victory yet again- I shall have to stick with playing middle-schoolers from now on since you’ve become so formidable an opponent.”

“Don’t be too embarrassed- I did learn from the best.” Annabeth’s teasing tone holds nothing but affection and Chiron beams with pride. 

“On that note, I fear I have neglected my other duties long enough- I’d best go supervise dinner before the Hermes cabin starts organizing another cursed hot-dog eating contest,” Chiron says as he stretches out of the wheelchair. “I will see you both after the campfire.” With a nod farewell, he gallops off in the direction of the dining pavilion. 

Annabeth turns her head to press a quick kiss into Percy’s cheek before moving to stand. She starts packing away the marble pieces into their velvet-lined box before shooting Percy a look. 

“You could help me clean this up, you know.”

He grins and flops down in her now unoccupied chair. “Nah, I’m pretty busy enjoying the view.”

She rolls her eyes at that but Percy couldn’t be more sincere. She is effortlessly beautiful no matter what she wears (and let it be known he has a soft spot for the baggy sweaters and patched flannel shorts she rolls out of bed with on those rare peaceful weekends they spend on the couch), but something about this dress makes his throat tighten: maybe it’s the way the skirt flutters to her ankles that makes her legs look a mile long, or the way the open back reveals the golden expanse of her skin usually reserved for their bedroom. He wants to express this to her, to find the words to tell her how stunning she is and always has been and how he loves every part of her-

“That’s...um. That’s a nice dress,” is what he manages to choke out.

The faintest blush appears on her cheeks, barely visible in the orange light of the sunset around them. She tucks away the last chess piece before turning to face him, hand reaching out to smooth down the collar of his crisp white shirt. 

“Not looking so bad yourself, Seaweed Brain. What happened to your other shirt? Did Estelle spill ice cream on it?”

Actually, yes. But he had been planning to change anyways, he had promised his mom he would at least wear something without wrinkles when he proposed to the love of his life. 

That thought puts his heart into overdrive and he stands up abruptly, grabbing her hand before she can feel it beating out of his chest. 

“Maybe I’m trying to impress someone tonight.” He tries to distract her by waggling his eyebrows and shooting her a wide grin. 

It works. She laughs and squeezes his hand before lacing their fingers together. “Should’ve thought of that ten years ago, before I had to wipe drool off your chin.” She tugs him towards the steps and they walk hand-in-hand towards the amphitheater.

“Who said I was trying to impress _you_?” Percy quips back. She jabs her elbow into his side and he laughs, letting the familiarity of their banter calm his racing pulse. He regales her with details from his day, complaining about his sore neck from carrying Estelle on his shoulders until Annabeth calls him out on secretly loving how much he gets to spoil his baby sister. She launches animatedly into her plans for incorporating chess strategy in her battle tactics class and Percy makes fun of her for letting their latest Netflix binge affect her carefully-designed curricula. By the time they wander down to the bonfire, the sunset has quieted from blazing orange to bright pink to dusky lavender and the campers are already roasting marshmallows. 

The rest of the evening passes in a blur- there’s singing and music, Grover winking at him over his reed pipes, Percy nearly choking on his s’more when Annabeth licks chocolate off the side of his mouth because there are _children here Annabeth_ , the sound of the Aphrodite cabin giggling as their head counselor asks the poor daughter of Apollo playing guitar to go to the fireworks together and she literally drops the instrument into the fire. The sky is getting darker and Percy sees Rachel, Piper, and Juniper sitting together and beaming at him in a way that makes him sure they _know_ somehow, _damn his friends and their stupid prophetic powers_ , and suddenly Chiron is herding them out of the theater. The Hephaestus campers are running down towards the docks to set up, Leo sprinting at the head of the pack and shooting Percy a not-so-subtle thumbs-up on his way (and Percy wonders for the hundredth time _why_ he thought it was a good idea to ask Leo for this favor), but luckily Annabeth doesn’t question it. They slowly follow the crowd clamoring down to the beach, nostalgia wrapping them up in a cozy sense of contentment.

Annabeth kicks off her sandals as soon as they reach the shore and Percy does the same. The sand is still warm between their toes as they let the waves lap at their feet. The campers have dispersed to set up their blankets- Percy guides Annabeth in the opposite direction, towards an area of the beach Grover had promised him would remain teenager-free tonight. As they walk, Annabeth teases him with the story of their first July 4th beach date and Percy groans at the embarrassing memory- it doesn’t go unnoticed by either of them that they can remember this story with bittersweet fondness instead of crushing guilt for Charles and Silena. These, too, are battle scars they have healed from together. Percy wraps an arm around Annabeth’s shoulder and pulls her into his side as she snakes her arm behind his back to rest on his hip. 

_This is it_ , Percy thinks. An expectant hush falls between them as they sit in the sand waiting for the fireworks to start. The ocean air is a cool relief from the muggy heat that July always brings to New York but it does nothing to help Percy’s sweaty palms. The words he has prepared for this moment are running through his mind over and over, and he prays to whatever gods are listening that he can just get them out past the lump forming in his throat. He’s nervous, he wants this to be perfect for her because she deserves nothing less, wants them both to look back on this moment and feel like everything was right but he’s too jittery and it feels like the ring box is actually burning a hole in his pocket. Annabeth turns and quirks an eyebrow at the expression on his face and _Shit_ , he thinks, _there’s no way she hasn’t noticed_ \- 

_KABOOM._

Annabeth whips her head back to the sky and Percy is saved by the first set of fireworks going off. It starts with simple fountains and spheres but quickly evolves into intricate patterns of bursting spirals and comets that chase each other across the night. No matter how many times they’ve spent July 4th here, the skill of the Hephaestus campers stuns them into silence. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy sees Annabeth’s mouth slightly open in awe, her face awash in the brilliant lights of red, blue, and gold from the explosions above. She leans her head into his chest and time seems to slow down- Percy has never felt older or younger than in this moment, basking in the soft perfection of the woman beside him. The steadiness of her breathing is what brings him back to the realization that this is _Annabeth_ : his best friend, the person who has been by his side for every failure, the one who knows his flaws inside and out and chooses to love him anyways, the voice that reminds him everyday that he is enough just as he is. He doesn’t need to be perfect to be perfect for _her_.

Familiar scenes start to play out among the stars: Hercules slaying the Nemean Lion, Atalanta outracing her suitors, George Washington crossing the Delaware, and finally the Argo II with Leo at the helm and the rest of the Seven in the background (Percy notes that they’re getting less and less prominent every year, which is honestly fine by him.) 

Annabeth moves to stand up - the reenactment of the Second Giant War has been the finale for the last several years and part of their job as instructors is to chaperone campers back to their cabins at the end of the show - and is startled by a quick succession of explosions signaling that there is more to come. Percy watches her eyes widen as she recognizes herself in the fireworks: racing a chariot side-by-side with Percy, leading her quest through the Labyrinth, rebuilding the throne room of Mount Olympus, rescuing the Athena Parthenos from Arachne, graduating from Columbia and giving her valedictorian speech. He had chosen these memories carefully and felt a rush of gratitude towards Leo for re-creating the moments exactly as described. He gently takes her hands in both of his, her eyes still transfixed on the fireworks above.

“Annabeth.” 

Her name leaves his tongue as fervent as a prayer. As if in a trance, Annabeth turns to face Percy slowly. Her eyes sparkle with a million questions but she seems to find an answer in his steadfast gaze. He runs his thumbs gently over the tops of her knuckles and her expression melts into something so sweet, Percy feels like his heart might burst from how much he loves her. An eternity passes between them as the fireworks continue booming. The romantic words Percy had so carefully written suddenly seem inadequate, unnecessary compared to the feelings reflected in her eyes.

An extra loud _BOOM_ startles Annabeth into looking back at the sky and a small gasp falls from her lips as she sees the bright blue words appear among the stars.

**MARRY ME?**

_Now or never_ , Percy tells himself as he gets down on one knee. He reaches into his back pocket and flips the box open to reveal the weeks of hard work he and Tyson had spent in the forges: a delicate band of Celestial bronze-titanium alloy, set with a single diamond. He sees her eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

“Will you-”

Before he can finish asking the question (which he’s been rehearsing for months, by the way), Annabeth throws her arms around him and tackles him to the ground. He tries to catch her on reflex as he falls backwards and ends up lying with his back in the sand, his arms full of her and her forehead just inches from his. She’s laughing and crying and her eyes are softer than he has ever seen them, shining as silver as the streak in her hair and the stars gleaming above them. She leans down to whisper in his ear. 

“Took you long enough to ask.”

Percy starts to make a sound of protest but then Annabeth is kissing him and the pressure of her lips combined with the pure joy of this moment is intoxicating- he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her tight against him, deepening the kiss with deliberate slowness. He would stretch this out forever if he could.

When they finally break apart, she untangles her hands from behind his head and gestures to her left ring finger pointedly, a giddy smile breaking through her impatient façade. Percy laughs, his heart so light he would probably float away without her weight above him, and reverently slips the band onto her finger. She lies down next to him and admires it for a quiet moment before curling into his shoulder. Distantly, they hear the cacophony of what must be the entire camp (satyrs and instructors included) yelling and storming towards them from across the beach.

As much as the sound of campers hollering and waves crashing against the Long Island shore bring familiarity and warmth, it’s the feeling of Annabeth by his side ( _the citrus smell of her hair mixed with the sea breeze, the shape of her smile against his skin, the way her heart beats in time with his_ ) that reminds him he is home.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! <3 shameless netflix reference is to the queen’s gambit


End file.
